Height adjustable pillow

ABSTRACT

An adjustable pillow, comprising of a stretchable pillow cover having a plurality of removable inserts. The inserts may be in various thicknesses, shapes, compositions and firmness to permit adjustment for overall pillow height, overall firmness, and surface firmness when inserted into the cover. The total height of the pillow depends on the total height of the various inserts being used, the overall firmness depends on whether the inserts are soft, medium or firm, and the surface firmness depends on the firmness of the topmost inside layer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to cushions and pillows and, moreparticularly, to pillows with adjustable layers or inserts.

2. Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,169, issued Jun. 15, 2010, discloses a pillowcomprising a viscoelastic sleeve defining a cavity and a plurality ofloose pieces of filler material substantially enclosed within thecavity.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,707,668, issued May 4 2010, discloses a pillow forrelieving pressure on a neck of a user. The pillow includes a bodysection, a first lobe member integrally bound to the body section andadaptable for supporting a nape of the neck of the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an adjustable pillow that includes astretchable cover having a plurality of removable inserts. Thestretchable cover shrinks or expands depending on the number of insertsand the overall height of the pillow. The stretchable cover alsosecurely holds the various independent inserts together such that theyact as one complete unit. The layer inserts may be of variousthicknesses and firmness. The removable inserts permit the pillow to beadjusted for height, overall compressibility and surface firmness. Thetotal height of the pillow will depend on the total height of thevarious individual inserts used, the overall compressibility will dependon the resistance to compression of each insert and the surface firmnesswill depend on the firmness of the topmost insert, which may compriseviscoelastic or “memory” foam.

To affect the ability of the inserts to move in a sliding mannerrelative to each other, the coefficient of friction between the layersmay be varied. This may be accomplished, for instance, by changing thecomposition of the inserts, by roughening or smoothing the contactsurfaces of the inserts, or by enclosing the inserts in a flexiblematerial, which material's properties may be adjusted to achieve thesame results.

The inserts may extend across the entire length and width of the pillowso that the sleeper can uniformly adjust the height, firmness andelasticity of the pillow. Unless desired to promote a particular sleepposition, a sleeper's head will maintain constant height, firmness andelasticity as it may move on the surface of the pillow while sleeping.The various layers may also be tapered lengthwise from center to eachedge to provide better breathing access when the side of the head ispositioned in the center of the pillow. A cover closure, such as azipper or hook and loop fastener may facilitate removal and/or insertionof the individual layers.

Other features and advantages of the present invention should beapparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment,which illustrates, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric exploded view of one embodiment of the presentinvention in a U-shape with a shoulder cutout comprising three (3)insert layers and a cover.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of another embodiment of the presentinvention with all three (3) of the inserts placed inside the cover.

FIG. 3 is an isometric exploded view of an adjustable pillow in aconventional rectangular shape consisting of three (3) insert layers anda cover.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

1 case

2 insert

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention should be better understood with reference to thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment illustratedin the drawings.

FIGS. 1-3 show an adjustable pillow 1 constructed in accordance with thepresent invention. The adjustable pillow comprises a stretchable coverand multiple, removable inserts. References to the inserts willotherwise be understood as references to the inserts collectively. Theinserts 2 are of various thickness, firmness and composition to permitadjustment for overall pillow height, overall firmness, surface firmnessand elasticity via memory foam, for instance. The total height of theadjustable pillow 1 depends on the total height of the various insertsbeing used, the overall firmness depends on the firmness of the insertsand the surface firmness depends on the firmness of the topmost insidelayer. The inserts provide the option of memory foam and/or adjustmentacross the entire length and width of the pillow so that a user will notexperience changing height or firmness while sleeping.

FIG. 1 shows that the inserts are positioned in the cover and extendalong the entire length and width of the pillow. The cover has an openend through which the inserts are inserted and has a length dimension“L” and a width dimension “W” shown in FIG. 1 that defines a sleepingarea of the pillow.

The sleeping area is the approximate area of the pillow on which asleeping person can be expected to rest his or her head. It should beunderstood that the height of the pillow refers to the verticaldimension of the pillow when viewed in cross section, perpendicular tothe plane defined by the length and width of the pillow cover.

The three (3) inserts 2 illustrated in FIG. 1 comprise inserts ofdifferent relative firmness and thickness. In particular, a first insertis relatively soft and thin while a second insert is of medium firmnessand thickness, and a third insert is relatively firm and relativelythick. The firmness of the inserts need not correspond with thethickness as described. As shown in FIG. 1, the pillow nominallyincludes three (3) inserts, but may contain any number desired.

Moreover, inserts in multiple combinations of thickness, firmness andcomposition can be made available separately from those originallysupplied with the cover. That is, users can selectively mix and matchthe different firmness, thickness and composition varieties of insertsto assemble a group of all soft inserts, all firm inserts or anycombination thereof. In addition, the user may determine the overallheight of the pillow by the thickness of the various inserts selected.In this way, individual users can tailor the pillow to their ownpreferences.

FIG. 2 shows the adjustable pillow with the three (3) inserts placed inthe stretchable cover to provide an initial height, overall firmness andsurface firmness. More particularly, the total cross-sectional height ofthe adjustable pillow as illustrated in FIG. 1 is substantially equal tothe combined height of any padding material in the pillow cover seen inFIG. 1, the height of the first soft insert, the height of the secondmedium insert, and the height of the third firm insert. The inserts mayall be equally thick or they may vary in thickness. Mathematically, agreater number of different pillow heights may be achieved by combininginserts each having a different thickness, as compared to combininginserts of equal thickness.

The overall firmness of the pillow with inserts is the firmness providedby the three (3) inserts and the cover, as indicated by the resistanceto compression of the combination. The pillow may be adjusted to achievea different perceived overall firmness. The perceived overall firmnessof the pillow largely depends on the combination of inserts placedwithin the pillow cover.

The surface firmness of the pillow cover and top insert is generally thefirmness perceived by the sleeper. If the pillow cover has no paddingmaterial, the perceived surface firmness would reflect the firmness ofthe insert closest to the sleeper's head. In a “soft” embodiment,inserts made of the softest viable material may be placed in the cover.Thus, both the number and type of inserts can be varied to adjust theperceived overall firmness (and height and surface firmness) of thepillow.

The adjustable pillow may be shaped to accommodate or facilitate varioustherapeutic goals such as anti-snore, lower arm “tunnels,” CPAP cutouts,head-positioning protuberances and the like.

The user may also use one or more inserts that are ventilated with aircirculation holes and/or inserts made of viscoelastic memory foam toprovide the benefits associated with that material. The various insertlayers may also contain other materials to provide anti-bacterial,anti-odor, sleep inducing, curative, fragrant, meditative and/or off-gasinducing or inhibiting properties.

The adjustable pillow is compatible with conventional pillowcases andaccessories. In particular, the adjustable pillow is sized to fit withinconventional, readily available pillowcases such as Twin, Double, Queen,King, California King and other well-known bed size standards out in themarket.

To prevent excessive warmth due to the insulating properties of theinsert material air circulation or ventilation may be provided viavertical holes spaced throughout the field of one or more of theinserts. If desired, the inserts may be made of viscoelastic memory foamto provide the well-known benefits associated with that material. Thevarious insert layers may also contain other materials to provideanti-bacterial, anti-odor, sleep inducing, curative, fragrant,meditative and/or off-gas inducing or inhibiting properties known tothose skilled in the art.

The present invention has been described above in terms of a presentlypreferred embodiment so that an understanding of the present inventioncan be conveyed. There are, however, many configurations for adjustablepillows not specifically described herein but with which the presentinvention is applicable. The present invention should therefore not beseen as limited to the particular embodiment described herein, butrather, it should be understood that the present invention has wideapplicability with respect to adjustable pillows and cushions generally.All modifications, variations or equivalent arrangements that are withinthe scope of the attached claims should therefore be considered withinthe scope of the invention.

1-13. (canceled)
 14. A height adjustable pillow, comprising of: a. Apillow case cover; b. A plurality of removable, inserts within thecover, and each inserts has substantially the same top surface area asthe other inserts and the adjustable pillow as a whole.
 15. A heightadjustable pillow according to claim 14, where the inserts are furthercomprised of differing thicknesses, with the height differences of thethickness between the inserts to be in between 0.75 to 1.25 inches. 16.A height adjustable pillow according to claim 14, where one or more ofthe inserts further comprises of viscoelastic memory foam material. 17.A height adjustable pillow according to claim 14, where the pillow andthe inserts are U-shaped with a shoulder cutout, said cutout tapers fromthe shoulder portion to the head portion of said cutout.
 18. A heightadjustable pillow according to claim 14, where the pillow case coverfurther comprises of microfiber fill cushioning layer.
 19. A heightadjustable pillow according to claim 14, where the inserts comprise atleast one insert made of breathable polyester fiber material.
 20. Aheight adjustable pillow according to claim 14, where the cover isfilled with down feather materials.
 21. A height adjustable pillowaccording to claim 14, where the pillow case cover, pillow and theinserts are tubular-shaped body pillows.
 22. A height adjustable pillowaccording to claim 14, where one or more of the inserts comprise atleast one adjustable air-filled bladder.
 23. A height adjustable pillowaccording to claim 14, where one or more insert is individuallyenveloped in flexible cover material.